Waiting – The dry world of black and gray tips into hues of brown and gold if you wait

It has been “that time of year” for over a month now. We wait for the sun and rain to warm the earth enough for roots to spread and bulbs to swell. If you look closely you will see that something is starting to happen. Despite the extended periods of cold, life remains intact just feet from our steps. I am starting to believe this spring might be a short one. My feeling is that, as it was years ago, we went from too cold to too hot, didn’t wear wind breakers or move from sweaters to shirts to t-shirts. Summer came upon us, dead leaves and dirty piles of snow shrinking while dusty small tornados ricocheted down the street. And as for April, it was only just barely enough after a long winter. For now I have no choice but to wait and plan: a bigger vegetable garden, where to move the raspberry bush, and how long I can wait before getting a load of soil and mushroom compost delivered. In the meantime I’ve filled my kitchen with pots of hyacinths and daffodils from the grocery store. I can’t wait much longer for 400 bulbs to bloom, at this stage I think they must be at their most tempting for rabbits and other members of the yard family, and may not make it much further.